A senior member of the Welsh Conservative Party has called for a rethink of plans to cut the number of MPs in Wales.

A Boundary Review of the constituencies across the UK was announced earlier this week.

Under proposals to make voter populations in each constituency more equal, England is set to gain 10 MPs, while Wales will lose eight and Scotland is on course to be reduced by two.

But Dr Tomos Dafydd Davies, the deputy chairman of the Welsh Conservative Party, this week wrote to the County Times calling for a rethink, and said it would be a "travesty" if the county's historic constituencies were carved up.

"I hope the UK Government will reconsider its proposals to cut the number of MPs in Wales," he wrote.

"As confidence in devolution and the Welsh Labour Government continues to be eroded, it is more important than ever that Wales has a strong voice within Parliament.

"I would implore the Government to carefully re-consider its proposals to cut Welsh representation from 40 to 32 MPs. It would be a particular travesty if historic and well established constituencies such as Brecon & Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire were lost in the cull of Welsh constituencies, which would only serve to undermine the link between local communities and their elected representatives."

It is not yet known how any changes could impact on Powys, but a previous boundary review in 2016 had proposed splitting Montgomeryshire into three parts.

This would have merged the north of the historic county with Clwyd South to create a new seat called South Clwyd and North Montgomeryshire.

The area from Newtown southwards would then have become Brecon, Radnor and Montgomery, while Llanidloes and Blaen Hafren would have merged with Ceredigion.

At present the county's constituencies are both held by Conservatives, with Craig Williams having won the Montgomeryshire seat at 2019's General Election, and Fay Jones having retaken Brecon and Radnorshire from the Liberal Democrats at the same poll.